Women’s and Infants’ Center

D U M P… DUMP!
The place is dirty, delivery staff rude… doctor that delivered my grandson was sick and hacking all over the place… my daughter’s OB was unavailable, no reason as to why was given.
Waiting area hasn’t been cleaned since who knows when… bugs and spider webs in fixtures… carpets smelly and dirty.
If I could I would have dragged her out of the bed and brought her to Evergreen.
I even told her, «You better go to Evergreen if you have another child!»
She agreed.
Post natal/​recovery area nurses were much better… however, beds and furniture in the rooms are beyond useful. There is a love seat sofa bed that once you sit on it, your ass is hitting the ground… just about needed a forklift to get me back on my feet.
For a hospital in so called «affluent» Bellevue, this place is a disgrace to the city and to the medical community.

This office was very handy when I first had my son. The lactation consultants tried to give me good advice and help me with breastfeeding my son. I rented a hospital pump for them for 7 months and it was very effective at getting the milk out.
I’ll never forget my first visit with this office. My son was 5 days old and we were not getting that «newborn» experience where the baby sleeps a lot. No, I had a screamer. He screamed day and night, taking rare breaks for sleep. It’s standard for you to have a follow up visit here after you have a baby at Overlake, kind of a check in/​how are you surviving? The lactation consultant did this thing where she weighed the baby and then had me breastfeed him and weigh him again. I was surprised to find out he had hardly gotten anything! My boobs sucked at producing milk! The lactation consultant got out this little two ounce bottle of formula with a nipple and told me to feed him that. Oh, you should have seen the sweet bliss that took over his face to be able to suck something and actually get something out of it! He devoured the whole thing and then fell asleep, REALLY asleep for the first time since I had him. I love that the lactation consultants aren’t just pushing breastfeeding, they are telling you to give your baby formula when he needs it. Long story short, I never produced enough milk and my kid never took to the boob (why would he when it produced so little and the bottle gives him what he wants every time?). I pumped for 7 months to give him what little breast milk I could make but most of his nutrition came from formula. The lactation consultants were very helpful at telling me, «this is okay. Not every woman is meant to breastfeed. Do the best you can». Simple!
This office sells all kinds of helpful things: pumps, pillows, nursing bras, baby clothes and the like. I believe they are open Monday through Saturdays, usual business hours.

Their website said they carried ring slings and did sling fittings. They do not. The building is old and scary and almost inaccessible with a stroller. It is just depressing in there. Go to Evergreen’s baby boutique for help with baby carriers and post-​partum supplies.

After seeing a lactation consultant at Children’s, I’ve had to drop this place on my list. I got way better attention at Children’s — none of this «You’re hour is up, get out» business, and they actually observed a little better, I think, the latching. While they don’t discriminate against the bottle, they definitely won’t show you how to properly bottle feed your baby either. This is one of those places that if they can’t help you in one or two visits, I’d go somewhere else. Also, when I had more questions, I asked the front desk admissions lady if there was a nurse’s line I could call. She told me only if it was quick, I could call the «Lactation» line, otherwise, she told me to call the La Leche League… I asked her for the number of the LLL — guess what, she didn’t have it. Yeah, that wasn’t very helpful, now was it?
Just an FYI — I found out that my visits were not covered by insurance. The first visit was $ 134 and the second $ 150 (for the same thing; I’m surprised they weren’t the same cost). I asked around and several other people I know who had come here also didn’t have coverage (I asked a variety of people including people who work at the «big employers» — Boeing, Starbucks, Amazon, and Microsoft — and smaller companies in the area.). If you don’t have a lot of funds to spare, you might want to try one of the group lactation consulting session or contact your local Le Leche League for assistance before dropping your cash here.

Let’s say you just had a baby. Or your wife did. And she needs help with breastfeeding-​related stuff. Pumps, bras, bottles, what-​have-​you. This store is dedicated to this kind of stuff, and in addition they have some infant clothing.
First off, getting there is a breeze. It’s in the middle of the Overlake Hospital complex, but it’s in a small, detached older building across the street from Kasala Furniture, just N. of Whole Foods. They have a tiny parking lot just for this store, or you can park in the large garage below for free for 1 hour.
Second, the people who work here really care and truly know their stuff. I am a clueless dad and they were able to help me out with my list. It was great.
Lastly, they have a selection of specialty items that I doubt you’d find anywhere else on the Eastside, save perhaps for the similar store that Evergreen Hospital runs. But this store is open on Saturday and I don’t think the Evergreen one is.
If you just had a baby, or are about to have one, I definitely recommend stopping by this great little store to get familiar with it.